Memphis Flyer 5/4/2023

SHARA CLARK

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OUR 1784TH ISSUE 05.04.23

I have 17 tabs open on my laptop right now.

In trying to home in on what to write about this week, I was pulled in several directions. More gun violence. An uptick in fentanyl overdoses. (Both topics I’ll explore in this space later.) But what caught my attention while researching was the fact that my attention was actually all over the place. Between the many tabs and my phone’s noti cations, my brain was abuzz with information overload.

As I clicked and scrolled, I stumbled upon an NPR story: “30 years ago, one decision altered the course of our connected world.” April 30th was the 30th anniversary of the launch of the World Wide Web into public domain — and alter the course it did.

irty years ago, I was a carefree adolescent. Sometimes I’d play Paperboy on Nintendo until my thumbs blistered or watch hours of rock-and-roll videos on MTV. But most of my free time I’d spend outside — meandering the neighborhood scanning the streets for loose change or catching bees in Coke bottles or some other random activity that would be considered rather boring by a kid today. I got my rst pager in high school — a useless thing, really. e little electronic box would buzz, a number would appear on the slim rectangular screen, then I’d have to go nd a landline to call said number. I didn’t get my rst cell phone or home computer until college. Which was great at rst. I could look up essay resources or travel maps online. If my car broke down, I could call someone right then to help rather than walk to the nearest pay phone. (And people still met up, in person, and looked at each other and engaged, uninterrupted! at was nice.) But it’s been a slippery slope from there.

In the NPR story, the author recalled how, 30 years ago, Morning Edition listeners heard from host Neal Conan: “Imagine being able to communicate at-will with 10 million people all over the world. Imagine having direct access to catalogs of hundreds of libraries as well as the most up-to-date news, business, and weather reports. Imagine being able to get medical advice or gardening advice immediately from any number of experts. is is not a dream. It’s internet.”

e World Wide Web opened a portal to uncharted territory, unlimited information, and instant communication. With digital technology at our ngertips at every moment, we can do all that was imagined and more. But it’s more like a fever dream today, full of strange reels and live streams and windows into weirder worlds than we could have ever conceived. Now we have “in uencers,” TikTok trends, online gaming, the metaverse (and, and, and) to take up the time of bored teens and, well, all of us, worldwide, if we let ’em.

Between work, keeping in touch with folks, and mindless entertainment, I’m looking at one screen or another the majority of my day, constantly bombarded with emails and reminders:

Have you had any water today?

It’s time for your daily meditation.

[XYZ] uploaded a new video on YouTube.

A person you may know is on TikTok.

You have three new WhatsApp messages. Here’s your a rmation for today!

Pedometer service is running. Time to get moving!

You have 14 new unread emails.

[So-and-so] is live on Instagram.

Hungry? You’re one click away on UberEats. Missed alarm: Dog meds.

*Ding* a Slack noti cation.

*Ring* a spam call.

*Ting* a text.

NEWS & OPINION

THE FLY-BY - 4

POLITICS - 9

FINANCE - 11

It’s exhausting. I could delete some apps (and yes, I have an app reminding me to drink water; in the tangled mess of tasks and tings, it’s easy to forget to hydrate) or silence noti cations (but then how would I know when I get an angry email from a reader who hated my column about woke beers?!).

COVER STORY

“ROOT DOWN!”

BY ALEX GREENE - 12

WE RECOMMEND - 19

CALENDAR - 21

NY TIMES CROSSWORD - 21

FOOD - 23

METAPHYSICAL CONNECTION - 24

ASTROLOGY - 27

FILM - 28

CLASSIFIEDS - 30

LAST WORD - 31

I have 17 tabs open in my brain right now. How about you? e internet — this wonderful, horrible thing that altered society — is a blessing and a curse. Perhaps I’ll try a World Wide Web detox. Turn o the damn phone. Take a stroll and scan the streets for a shiny quarter.

In the meantime, better check my noti cations.

Shara Clark shara@memphis yer.com

PHOTO: RAHUL CHAKRABORTY | UNSPLASH

Questions, Answers + Attitude

Edited by Toby Sells

{WEEK THAT WAS

By Flyer staff

Memphis on the internet.

BUBBLES

Guns, Executions, & Trans Youth

Governor Lee to call a special session, no ring squads, and a lawsuit for access to care.

SPECIAL SESSION

“ is is Bubbles, the Beale Street vendor who was the victim of today’s gun violence,” u/12frets wrote on Reddit last Sunday. “Show him some love.”

Memphis police responded to the shooting on Beale around 3 p.m. Sunday, close to the time of the Beale Street Wine Race. According to the Reddit thread, Bubbles has sold glow sticks, hats, and bubbles to kids on Beale “for years.” e gunshot, apparently, “only” got him in the ear, and many wished him a speedy and full recovery.

GOV’S ANUS

Governor Bill Lee said last week that he will call a special session to tackle gun reform a er the Tennessee General Assembly adjourned for the year without even making an attempt to address the issue nearly a month a er a mass shooting at a Nashville private school.

e governor made the decision a er discussions with legislative leaders. He did not lay out a time frame but said the session will be used to “strengthen public safety and preserve constitutional rights.”

TRANS CARE

Art collective INDECLINE took responsibility last weekend for a new billboard in Nashville. It shows a mostly nude Governor Bill Lee lying on his side farting out the words, “Indecency is turning love into hate.”

“Good morning, Nashville,” INDECLINE wrote on Instagram. “Your governor’s anus has something to say.”

GRIZZ OUT

“No Grizzlies basketball for 6 months :(,” u/plazex posted to Reddit a er the team’s loss to the Lakers over the weekend.

e Memphis Grizzlies subreddit was full of sad and funny memes, postseason analysis, and random facts about actual grizzly bears.

Organizations and families legally challenged Tennessee’s ban on gender-a rming care for minors last week. Several organizations led a lawsuit against the state on behalf of “several trans youth, their parents, and a medical provider.” e suit says the law will disrupt and prevent medical care for “hundreds of adolescents across Tennessee,” and it violates the constitutional rights of minors and their parents.

SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH

Memphis-Shelby County Schools board members decided last Monday to keep their search for a new superintendent on pause while they try to reach consensus on what they want for the district and its next leader. e search came to an abrupt halt a er an April 15th meeting where some board members signaled their dissatisfaction with the outside search rm that selected three nalists for the job.

STATE EXECUTIONS

Tennessee won’t be killing death row inmates with a ring squad anytime soon, nor will it get more transparency in its lethal injection process, but Republican lawmakers did see t this year to take away some powers from local attorneys general in death penalty cases. Executions in Tennessee are now halted, hamstrung on scienti c protocols for lethal injections.

TICKET TRANSPARENCY

A bill that requires third-party ticket resellers to disclose

the total cost of a ticket is headed toward Governor Bill Lee’s desk. It requires “a third-party ticket reseller to disclose speci c information related to the cost of a ticket; prohibits such a reseller from preserving more than 45 percent of the tickets that the reseller has as a holdback.”

Representative Caleb Hemmer (D-Nashville), the bill’s sponsor, said, “Consumers feel some practices in the ticket industry are unfair. is legislation addresses two big issues that impact ticket buyers.” e bill makes online pricing more transparent. e rst price that ticket buyers see should be the nal price they pay, Hemmer said, including ancillary and service fees.

MARRIAGE ACCESS

A bill that would have allowed o cials in Tennessee to refuse to conduct a marriage ceremony based on their “conscience or religious beliefs” did not become law this year. Many worried the legislation would limit LGBTQ access to marriage in the state.

Also, a trial is set for this summer to decide the fate of marriages performed by ministers who were ordained online. e Universal Life Church said the suit led in 2019 would clear the legal air for its online-ordained ministers in the state. It is slated for a hearing in August.

Tennessee Lookout and Chalkbeat Tennessee contributed to this news roundup.

Visit the News Blog at memphis yer.com for fuller versions of these stories and more local news.

POSTED TO REDDIT BY U/12FRETS

POSTED TO REDDIT BY U/PLAZEX

POSTED TO INSTAGRAM BY @THISISINDECLINE

PHOTO: LAURA TESTINO

Charles Lampkin, with parent group Memphis LIFT, addresses school board members last Monday with criticisms of its superintendent search process.

By Toby Sells

Sexton Under Fire

Shelby County Democrats called for Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) to resign last week, and a watchdog group wants an investigation of Sexton’s government allowance for lodging.

e Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) passed a resolution last weekend “demanding” Sexton’s resignation. e group also began a public campaign that will include billboards and a petition.

“Speaker Sexton has got to go,” reads the petition. “Not only did he lead the racist charge to expel representatives [Justin] Jones (D-Nashville) and [Justin] Pearson (D-Memphis), he may not even live in the district he represents.”

e House expulsion of Pearson and Jones drew national interest. is raised Sexton’s pro le, with many criticizing him for allowing his party to use such extreme measures for a modest charge of breaking decorum rules. Sexton called the protest “an insurrection.”

Reports then surfaced in a story rst reported by the Substack “Popular Information” that Sexton secretly bought a Nashville home in 2021.

is drew scrutiny on state residency requirements for lawmakers and put into question the per diem — the daily, taxpayer-funded allowance for food and hotel stays in Nashville — Sexton has claimed, even though he lives there.

A WKRN-TV report then found that state Representative Scotty Campbell (R-Mountain City) had been quietly found guilty by a state ethics committee of workplace harassment on charges of having inappropriate conversations with a 19-year-old legislative intern. Sexton did not move to expel Campbell, who resigned hours a er confronted by a WKRN reporter about the situation.

e Shelby County Democratic Party (SCDP) joined the state party’s calls for Sexton’s resignation last Wednesday. e group’s major complaint was the expulsion of Jones and Pearson. ey also listed the residency concerns, the non-action against Campbell, and a certain disregard for House rules.

Also last Wednesday, the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign for Accountability (CfA) asked the Davidson County District Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee to investigate Sexton’s per diem requests for potential tax fraud.

“Tennessee law makes clear that only those legislators who live more than 50 miles away from the Capitol are permitted to receive a lodging per diem,” CfA executive director Michelle Kuppersmith said in a statement.

“Speaker Sexton is not above the law and must be held accountable for any possible violations.”

e group claims Sexton “appears to have gone to great lengths to hide his new Nashville residency, purchasing the house through the ‘Beccani Trust,’ with only his wife’s one signature on the deed.”

CfA analysis found that Sexton’s lodging per diems total about $79,954. ey said the payments could violate Tennessee law. If so, it’s a Class B felony that could come with eight to 30 years in jail and $25,000 in nes. Sexton may have also violated federal tax law, CfA said, if he failed to report the money as taxable wages.

CfA’s complaint reminds judicial o cials that the Davidson County District Attorney General prosecuted then-Nashville Mayor Megan Barry for similar charges. ose were the of property charges stemming from domestic and international travel expenses the mayor and her bodyguard, with whom she was having an a air, improperly charged to the city of Nashville.

CfA also mentioned that, at the time, Davidson County DA Glenn Funk said, “It’s the role of the district attorney to bring charges when crimes have been committed even if those crimes are committed by public o cials.”

PHOTO: TENNESSEE STATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY Billboards like this will go up in the state.

Shelby County and state Democrats urge house speaker to resign.

POLITICS By Jackson Baker

What’s at Stake

Between the 18th of this month, a ursday, and the 22nd, a Monday, there will fall one business day and a weekend. Within that brief period, the political history of Memphis for at least four years — and maybe longer — could well be determined.

e 22nd is the rst date on which candidate petitions for the October 5th city election will be made available by the Shelby County Election Commission. e 18th, four days prior, shapes up as a day of judgment for candidate eligibility. On that date, the long-festering issue of residency requirements for mayor will be resolved, one way or the other, in the courtroom of Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins.

So indicated His Honor on Monday. His fateful announcement, made at the close of a hearing on the residency matter, followed an equally eventful one

from Memphis city attorney Jennifer Sink, rendered in Jenkins’ courtroom by Michael Fletcher, a lawyer for the city. In essence, Sink said via Fletcher that an opinion she had requested weeks ago from attorney Robert Meyers re ected city policy, reversing a statement she made last month in which she declined to go that far.

e Meyers opinion had cited language in an 1895 city charter mandating a prior residency in Memphis for a period of ve years for candidates for mayor. at opinion, published on the Shelby County Commission website, generated signi cant turmoil, including litigation from two announced candidates — Sheri Floyd Bonner and NAACP president Van Turner — challenging such a mandate.

Bonner and Turner, whose suits were later combined, insist that Memphis voters approved a superseding referendum in 1996 that did away with a prior-residency requirement for both mayoral candidates and candidates for

the city council, and that several city elections had been held since under the new standard. (Indeed, several current members of the council could not have passed a ve-year requirement for prior residency.)

As for Sink’s apparent change of mind, lawyers for the litigants point out that the city doesn’t administer elections; the Election Commission does, which had meanwhile dropped Meyers’ opinion from its website.

In danger of invalidation, Bonner and Turner, who until recently lived just outside the city, are joined by former Mayor Willie Herenton, a sometime resident of Collierville in recent years. Ironically, all three were basically tied for the lead in the only mayoral poll made public so far.

One clear bene ciary of their ouster (though he has steered clear of the controversy) would be Downtown Memphis Commission CEO Paul Young, who by a wide margin would lead the rest of the declared eld in fundraising. Two other mayoral hopefuls, businessman J.W. Gibson and School Board member Michelle McKissack, have declared themselves in favor of the Meyers opinion.

In the wake of Monday’s events, Bonner issued a ringing statement which said in part: “ e voters of Memphis voted in 1996 to do away with a dated residency requirement from the 1800s, and we are ghting to make sure the people’s voice is heard.” Turner also responded: “It is unfortunate that some group of insiders are trying to decide the election instead of letting the will of the voters play out. … [W]e will continue to prepare for our day in Court on May 18, and we will continue to campaign on the issues and not the distractions.”

e mayoral-residency issue will soon have its day in court.

PHOTO: MEMPHIS BAR ASSOCIATION | FACEBOOK Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins

Where to Retire?

How location can impact your retirement goals.

When planning for retirement, people often focus on how much money they need to save, when they’ll retire, and how to spend their free time. An often-overlooked retirement planning consideration is where to retire — and the decision can have a significant impact on your finances.

Here are some factors to consider when deciding where to retire:

• Income tax implications — Let’s go ahead and start with the elephant in the room. Sadly, even after you finish working, you’ll still owe taxes. Taxes can have a significant impact on your retirement, and different states have different tax rates for retirement income. Some states have more favorable tax policies than others, which can allow retirees to keep more of their retirement income. In addition, some states don’t tax Social Security benefits or other types of retirement income, which can help you further maximize your retirement savings.

• Retirement income Social Security benefits — While most states don’t tax Social Security benefits, there are a few states that impose some form of taxes on them. Regardless of where in the U.S. you live, up to 85 percent of your Social Security income may be subject to federal income tax.

Retirement plan distributions — Many people hold most of their retirement savings in tax-deferred accounts, such as IRAs and 401(k)s. While these vehicles provide a great way to save in a tax-deferred manner, retirement distributions from these types of accounts are subject to ordinary income tax at the federal level. However, some states don’t tax retirement plan distributions, which can help you maximize your funds available for retirement.

• Pension income — Some states differentiate between public and private pensions and may tax only public pensions. Other states tax both, while some states tax neither. Again, the amount of state tax you pay on this retirement income source can have a big impact on your lifestyle.

• Estate taxes — In 2023, the federal government allows individuals to pass on up to $12,920,000 without any federal estate tax ($25,840,000 for married couples filing jointly). However, depending on where you live, you may need to pay state estate taxes. It’s important to understand the estate tax requirements of your current state

as you’re planning your legacy, especially since some states’ estate tax limits may be lower than you would expect.

• Capital gains — Long-term capital gains are taxed by the federal government at more favorable rates than ordinary income. However, this is often not the case for states that charge state income tax. Many states don’t differentiate between earned income and capital gains, which means depending on the state in which you live, you may have significant tax liabilities on investment income.

• Cost of living — Cost of living can differ widely between various cities and states, making it essential to choose a retirement location you can afford. Some cities have a much lower cost of living than others, which allows you to do more with your retirement savings. By choosing a location with a lower cost of living, you may be able to afford a larger home, travel more often, or pursue hobbies and interests that may be out of reach if you were paying more for daily living expenses.

• Healthcare costs — When choosing where to retire, it’s important to find a location that offers access to high-quality healthcare facilities. Having convenient access to healthcare can help keep your costs down.

• Housing costs — Housing costs can vary widely between different cities and states, which is why it’s important to choose a retirement location that aligns with your housing budget. It’s also important to consider what property taxes you’ll be responsible for paying, as these too can vary widely.

While we’re not advocating for a mass migration to a retiree-friendly state such as Florida, it’s important to understand how where you live can impact your retirement finances. This knowledge allows you to choose a location that fits within your retirement budget and allows you to live the lifestyle you want.

Gene Gard, CFA, CFP, CFT-I, is a Wealth Manager with Creative Planning, formerly Telarray. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest Registered Investment Advisory firms providing comprehensive wealth management services to ensure all elements of a client’s financial life are working together, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit CreativePlanning.com.

Root Down!

BEALE STREET MUSIC FESTIVAL RETURNS TO THE RIVER AND HANDY PARK.

Last year, it struck many as odd that the great Memphis in May tradition of celebrating the best music of our time by the banks of the Mississippi had suddenly been uprooted. Everyone presumably understood the reasoning, with Tom Lee Park still being reconstructed at the time, yet having the festival relocated in its 45th year induced a kind of transplant shock in some. Now, this May 5th through 7th, none of that applies, as the Beale Street Music Festival once again roots down by the river. In fact, having begun in 1977 at the corner of Beale and ird, it’s closer to its roots than ever. Let 2023 be known as the year the festival returned to Beale Street.

at’s because, while the main festival stages will be spread across Tom Lee Park as in the past, what was formerly known as the “Blues Tent” will now be the Memphis Tourism “Blues Stage on Beale.” Best of all, this area of the festival is free. As Kevin Kane, president & CEO of Memphis Tourism, noted in a statement, “ e blues will be exactly where they were born during Memphis in May, at Handy

Park on Beale Street. is extends the entertainment footprint of the Beale Street Music Festival beyond Tom Lee Park, making great use of a public venue and stage, free and open to all.”

For any music lovers who’ve struggled to hear some wistful Delta bottleneck guitar over the pounding kick drum of a headliner on the main stage, this is a positive boon. And not only will the blues get the proper respect of plenteous peace and quiet, the festival’s programmers have invested in the Blues Stage lineup in a big way. Headliners Los Lobos, Keb’ Mo’, and the North Mississippi Allstars will be complemented by the likes of Cedric Burnside, Blind Mississippi Morris, the Ghost Town Blues Band, Mr. Sipp, the Reba Russell Band, and more.

Beyond Beale, this year’s festival is rooting down in another, subtler sense. It’s not in the usual sense of tipping its hat to local artists, though with everyone from hometown hip-hop queen GloRilla to e Bar-Kays, Jason D. Williams, Dirty Streets, Tyke T, Sleep eory, e Sensational Barnes Brothers, and Mille Manny appearing, that cohort is well-represented.

It’s more in the unseen threads of Memphis in uence that run through the work of three of the festival’s headliners in particular: Earth, Wind & Fire; e Roots; and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. ough it’s hard to say how that in uence will manifest during their respective sets, the invisible strings tying these artists to Memphis are powerful and profound. As you watch, listen, and dance to the music, be on the lookout for those connections to reveal themselves.

Earth, Wind & Fire

e threads binding Earth, Wind & Fire to Memphis are the most obvious of the bunch, for this is where group founder Maurice White grew up. In his memoir, Time is Tight: My Life, Note by Note, Booker T. Jones takes us back to that time: “I was a sixthgrader practicing in the band room one day when Maurice, an eighth-grader, walked in and said, ‘Hello, I’m Maurice

White.’ We discovered we lived not far away from one another and started hanging out at his small LeMoyne Gardens apartment or in the den at my house, usually listening to music.”

☮Both were destined to become legendary musicians, and they wasted no time in getting started. “Maurice was the first person of my age group I’d met who was really committed to making music and had the skill to become a virtuoso,” Jones writes. “We ended up playing live or practicing together nearly every day for what seemed like years. He was usually on drums, and I was on piano or some other instrument. As a result, we became like soul brothers, neither of us having a natural brother our own age.” The day White left for Chicago was burned into Jones’ memory. “It was 1961, an early introduction to emptiness.”

Of course, Jones’ loss was the world’s gain, as White began to thrive in the Chicago music scene, working for the Ramsey Lewis Trio and playing on sessions for Chess Records. Eventually, he enlisted his half-brother Verdine White on bass for his new

PHOTO: COURTESY OF BSMF e Roots’ Black ought and Questlove

10-piece band. As he later wrote in his autobiography, “Earth, Wind & Fire would have never become Earth, Wind & Fire without Verdine. A huge part of what built EWF was our live shows. Verdine, the ultimate Leo, had the energy to sustain us.”

e band, of course, had enough mega-hits in the ’70s to release e Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 in 1978, while the compilation’s new single, “September,” became one of their biggest hits ever, propelling the album into quintuple-platinum sales. Moreover, the staying power of the band’s golden-era tracks has been undeniable; in 2018, “September” was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry as a “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important” work.

While White seemingly never identi ed with Memphis much a er leaving (excepting the band’s one release on Stax), those years of hits made their impact right here in the Blu City. at’s especially clear in the recent work of a self-confessed superfan and Memphis native, historian Trenton Bailey. His book Do You Remember? Celebrating Fi y Years of Earth, Wind & Fire (Univ. Press of Mississippi), just published this year, is a formidable compendium of the band’s every move. Reading it helps shed light on how the band can carry on despite White’s death in 2016.

As it turns out, the group has been touring without him for 30 years, for tragic reasons. Even as early as the late 1980s, White was dealing with the sporadic e ects of Parkinson’s disease. By 1993, shortly a er a galvanizing performance on e Arsenio Hall Show, he announced that he was retiring from touring. Before long, his longtime partner and co-singer in the band, Philip Bailey, along with brother Verdine, secured the rights to tour under the band name without White. As the disease inexorably took its toll on White’s health, the band carried on White’s legacy. To this day, Verdine still holds down the bass and Bailey still fronts the band, making for live sets that continue to stun.

The Roots

ough it may not be obvious now that e Roots seemingly appear everywhere as the house band for e Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, their ties to Memphis run deep, mainly thanks to the same man who was Maurice White’s childhood friend: Booker T. Jones. As Roots co-producer, keyboardist, and arranger Ray Angry puts it, “I did some shows with Booker

T. and e Roots. He’s awesome!” And clearly it made an impression on the former head of the M.G.’s as well.

As Jones writes in his memoir, “Jimmy Fallon’s a great music supporter and a great guy. I just had to have his drummer is all.” at would be Ahmir “Questlove” ompson, of course, who, like Angry, has distinguished himself independent of e Roots, but continues to thrive on playing with the band. Not only was he a co-producer with Jones on e Road from Memphis, Jones’ Grammy-winning album from 2011, he supplied all the beats while his then-bandmates Owen Biddle and Kirk Douglas laid down the bass and guitar, respectively. “Questlove’s steady drumming is inimitable and unmistakable,” writes Jones, and the proof is in the pudding of that masterpiece of an album.

at steady drumming jumped out from e Roots’ major label debut, Do You Want More?!!!??!, in 1995, and still forms the backbone of the group today, while Tariq Trotter, aka Black ought, continues to make the rhymes ow. From the start, they brought a jazz sensibility to hip-hop, rst and foremost because they were a group of real players, making the music in real time, rather than relying on samples. Even as they embraced sampling more deeply, as in 2004’s e Tipping Point, that commitment to live playing has been a

through line in the band’s long history. Even as long ago as 2008, joining the group was a dream come true for Ray Angry. ey were already legends. “One of the rst sessions I did, with Joss Stone, was a gig I got through e Roots’ manager,” Angry recalls. “I was a classical pianist playing jazz, with so many di erent musical styles under my belt, and during this time e Roots were playing with people like Sting and George Clinton. Eventually I started co-producing songs, starting with the album How I Got Over. So on every Roots record from that point on, I was a producer, arranging strings and writing interludes. And one interlude I wrote, ‘A Peace of Light,’ Kendrick Lamar ended up sampling. So working with e Roots is pretty cool!”

Angry, best known for his 2021 single “Toyland” and with a solo piano album coming out in June, embodies the same eclecticism as e Roots generally, and he o en augments his group work with individual Roots cameos. “I did just do a trio record with myself, Questlove, and David Murray. I’m really excited about that. I also work on lm stu with Questlove, and one year he and I did the music for the Oscars.” Meanwhile, he’s a secret weapon of sorts for the band’s residency on national network television. “When I rst worked with them on

continued on page 18

PHOTO: JABARI JACOBS Earth, Wind & Fire

BEALE STREET MUSIC FESTIVAL SCHEDULE 2023

continued

Tonight Show, they would have me write a bunch of cues; they call them sandwiches because they’re short bits of music for commercial breaks.”

And speaking of sandwiches, Angry treasures his encounter with one Memphis barbecue expert in particular. “I worked on a record with Joss Stone that included Memphis legend Steve Cropper. He was telling me about his barbecue restaurant. People are really serious about their barbecue in Memphis!”

And e Roots are really serious about Memphis. Is it too much to hope for a reprise of their scintillating cover of Booker T. & the M.G.’s “Melting Pot”? Show up Saturday and nd out.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

While bluegrass star Alison Krauss is typically associated with Nashville, it’s her erstwhile collaborator, Robert Plant, who really embodies the invisible strings of Memphis. Naturally, with his supergroup Led Zeppelin having emerged from the British blues revival of the ’60s, he’s steeped in the music and lore of the Blu City

🤘and Mississippi. at’s apparent in a story told on the band’s o cial online forum by former Atlantic Records promotional man Phillip Rauls about when Led Zeppelin’s tour came to Memphis in November of 1969.

“ e lobby of the Holiday Inn was clearing as a parade of newscasters and camera crews packed up their equipment,” Rauls writes, “a er the presentation ceremony awarding Led Zeppelin e Key to e City of Memphis. Standing at the elevator and waiting for a li was Jimmy Page and Robert Plant when I casually approached the twosome.” And what did the

PHOTO: DAVID MCCLISTER Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

celebrity rockers want most out of a visit to the Blu City? “A few seconds passed when [Page] turned back to me and timidly asked, ‘Do you know anything about Sun Recording Studio?’”

e group’s ties to the city were even more pronounced a year later, when Page settled on Ardent Studios as the place to complete overdubs and mixes for the album Led Zeppelin III But Plant’s connection to the city went beyond musical obsessions or work. It was personal, as was revealed last year

when Priscilla Presley was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. Who should appear to present the award to her but Plant himself, who called her “a lifelong friend.”

He used the opportunity to wax enthusiastic about the music of our region. “I’m British, and we have a fascination with the music of this speci c city and its environs and farther down in the Mississippi Delta. … Here in Memphis, excitement and unparalleled expression rose above the constraints and the infamy of the times. Here in Memphis, the sounds of Clarksdale, Jackson, Tunica, and the Delta collided with unholy abandon, with the hillbilly two-step. Here in Memphis, where trailblazing Blacks and whites worked under cover of night at Sam Phillips to forge the beat that created a new world of music.”

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Lungs

By Abigail Morici

Six chairs, two actors, a compelling script, and an audience — that’s all Tony Isbell needs to put on Quark eatre’s latest production, Lungs. “Our focus as a company is really on the relationship between the actors and the audience,” the director says, “and we have a much smaller emphasis on things like sets and costumes and lights and sound. It’s about that experience of the actors performing and their relationship with the audience, and Lungs is certainly a show that highlights that.”

Written by Duncan Macmillan in 2011, Lungs, which Isbell describes as a “comedy/drama,” recounts a yearslong discussion between a couple, as played by Eileen Kuo and Chris Tracy, trying to decide whether to have a baby. “Parents from time immemorial have worried about if now is the right time to have a baby, but with everything the world is facing — climate change and political unrest and everything else — this generation now has some pretty speci c things that they have to worry about,” Isbell says. “And [the play is] them talking and debating and laughing and crying and ghting and loving and just going through the entire gamut of emotions, all in about 90 minutes with no intermission. … It’s sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking — just like real life.”

e playwright Macmillan describes the piece as “a conversation that spans a lifetime,” Isbell adds, with the couple’s discussion jumping from one moment to the next. “ ey’ll be discussing one subject and then the next line is suddenly two weeks later but the conversation continues,” the director says. “When you think about a couple that’s been together for a long time, you kind of do have the same conversation that goes on and on. … And the actors are doing a great job with it.”

Indeed, with their di erent acting styles and approaches, Kuo and Tracy have remarkable chemistry that’s even evident in Quark’s promo videos posted to Facebook. “If you cast people who are talented and good and right, they invariably bring something with them that you would never have thought of,” Isbell says. “ at has certainly been the case in this show. ey would be rehearsing a scene and just make me just burst into laughter because what they did was so much funnier than what I had in mind.”

Further, with a cast of just two, Isbell says, “You have the opportunity to dig much deeper into what’s going on and into the relationship.” Certainly, that depth bene ts the audience as the characters and their points of view become more eshed out. “Some people are going to feel more closely aligned to the woman’s point of view, some to the man’s,” Isbell says. “Some will probably think they’re both wrong; some will think they’re both right.”

In turn, the director adds, “Audiences can expect to have something to have a good conversation about it in the car on the way home or dinner the next day or wherever.”

Performances of Lungs are through May 14th, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased at the door or at quarktheatre.com.

LUNGS, THEATRESOUTH AT FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, PERFORMANCES THROUGH MAY 14, $20.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES May 4th - 10th

May the 4th

Be With You/Revenge

of the 5th Black Lodge, ursday-Friday, May 4-5, free Join Lodge for a two-day celebration for all things Star Wars. e rst day includes screenings, a card tournament with a cash prize, and Squadrons in VR available for play. e second day includes more screenings, a lightsaber dueling competition with a cash prize, and dance party/ Cantina hangout. Find out more about the celebrations on Facebook.

“Rich Soil”

Memphis Botanic Garden, Friday, May 5-October 1

Memphis Botanic Garden unveils its latest exhibit,“Rich Soil,” created by Kristine Mays. Inspired by the movements and gestures of Alvin Ailey’s dance composition “Revelations,” the exhibition features 29 wire sculptures.

On Friday, May 5th, 11 a.m., MBG will host a panel discussion in conjunction with the exhibit’s opening on how art and nature can grow and heal a community. e panel discussion is free to attend.

Plus, Saturday, May 6th, 10 a.m.4 p.m., MBG will host a Family Day, where guests can meet the artist and enjoy performances by Collage Dance Collective. Children will also get to try their hand at creating their own mini sculptures. e event is free with admission.

Memphis Heat

Dru’s Place, Friday, May 5, 8 p.m.-10 p.m., $10 JennaOnFire Productions presents Memphis Heat, a show with some of the hottest drag performers Memphis has to o er, raising funds for TransFest on November 18th.

Jenna Lee Dunn and Holly

Walnutz host. Performers include DèMonte Knight, PonyBoi, Crystal Jo Casino, Polly Popjoy, Felicity Fox, Will Ryder, Angel of Azarath, Moth Moth Moth, and Aubrey Ombre.

Memphis Libraries Comic Con

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, Saturday, May 6, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., free Memphis Public Libraries celebrates the inaugural Memphis Libraries

Comic Con! Legendary comic creators John Ostrander (Grimjack, Suicide Squad, Star Wars, X-Men) and Mike Norton (Battlepug, Revival, e Goon, Astro City) will make special appearances. e day will also include over 30 tables with artists and vendors selling wares. MPL will host cosplay contests for children and adults and a trivia contest with prizes. e event will also feature arts and cra s for the kids and comics for everyone.

PHOTO: QUARK THEATRE Eileen Kuo and Chris Tracy

CALENDAR of EVENTS: May 4 - 10

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisflyer.com.

DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENT LISTINGS, VISIT EVENTS. MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

ART AND SPECIAL EXHIBITS

“Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition”

Take a trip to the Vatican City without even packing a bag! Friday, May 5-June 10.

RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER

“Presque Vu”

Collection of Catherine Erb’s photographic works of gardens. Through May 13.

DAVID LUSK GALLERY

“Tommy Kha: Eye Is Another”

A site-specific, photography-based installation by artist Tommy Kha. Through May 7.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

ART HAPPENINGS

First Friday on Broad

Enjoy samples and refreshments from participating shops while shopping for Mother’s Day gifts! Friday, May 5, 5-8 p.m.

BROAD AVENUE ARTS DISTRICT

Pinch District Artists’ Market

Featuring live Memphis music and local artists and artisans. Sunday, May 7, 1-6 p.m.

WESTY’S

“Rich Soil” Family Day

Guests will immerse themselves in the “Rich Soil” exhibition. Visitors can meet artist Kristine Mays and enjoy performances by Collage Dance, and kids can try their hand at creating their own artwork. Free. Saturday, May 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

BOOK EVENTS

Book Signing/Talk with Jeff Fasano

Nashville-based photographer Jeff Fasano will discuss his new book, Americana Portrait Sessions. Free. Tuesday, May 9, 6:30 p.m.

BLUES FOUNDATION

Meet the Author: Suzanne Craig Robertson

Suzanne Craig Robertson celebrates the release of He Called Me Sister: A True Story of Finding Humanity on Death Row. Saturday, May 6, 2 p.m. NOVEL

COMEDY

Frank Ferrante in an Evening with Groucho

Award-winning actor Frank Ferrante brings his acclaimed stage portrayal of the legendary comedian to Memphis in this fast-paced 90 minutes of hilarity.

FESTIVAL

Cafe du Memphis

Enjoy beignets, shrimp and grits, cafe au lait, and plenty of fun. Proceeds benefit the Dorothy Day House and the Memphis Rotary Foundation. $15-$25. Saturday, May 6, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

MALCO SUMMER 4 DRIVE-IN

Memphis Libraries Comic Con

Join Memphis Public Libraries for its first Comic Con. Saturday, May 6, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

BENJAMIN L. HOOKS CENTRAL LIBRARY

FILM

May the 4th Be With You/Revenge of the 5th

A two-day celebration for all things Star Wars

Thursday, May 4-May 5.

BLACK LODGE

Shifting Lines: New Queer Animation

These six shorts traverse various styles of distinctive animation and live-action to explore relationships, family, and the development of identity. Wednesday, May 10, 7 p.m.

CROSSTOWN THEATER

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Ready. Set. Grow! 5K

A health awareness event to rally Tennesseans to keep our state clean and beautiful. $40. Saturday, May 6, 9 a.m.

SHELBY FARMS PARK

Mental Fitness

Learn and experience calming breathing along with guided meditation and practical wisdom.

Sunday, May 7, 4-5 p.m.

OVERTON PARK SHELL

PERFORMING ARTS

Memphis Heat

Enjoy some of the hottest drag performers Memphis has to offer. Benefitting TransFest 2023. Friday, May 5, 8-10 p.m.

DRU’S PLACE

Spillit Slam: Maybe It Was Memphis

Spillit is live storytelling told in front of an audience. This is a Slam event. $10. Wednesday, May 10, 7 p.m.

BLACK LODGE

SPECIAL EVENTS

Cinco de Mayo Party

Join Overton Square and Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre Group for an evening of music, food, and cultural appreciation! Friday, May 5, 7-9 p.m.

OVERTON SQUARE

THEATER

Lungs

Catherine

works are on display at David Lusk Gallery through May 13.

Lungs is a smart, funny drama that follows a couple through the surprising life-cycle of their relationship. Through May 14.

THEATRESOUTH

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

A fragment of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace transformed into a magical musical. Through May 21.

PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

Sherlock’s Last Case

Drama, mystery, live theater. Through May 7.

THEATRE MEMPHIS

Small Mouth Sounds

Six runaways from city life embark on a silent retreat. Friday , May 5-May 21.

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Wednesday, January 23, 2019

THEATREWORKS

Crossword

Edited by Will Shortz No. 1219

12345678910111213

1 Ones always tossing things back?

2 Impose, as a tax

3 Potentially offensive, in brief

4 Relative of a discotheque

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

CTRLACTINLATS OREOTOADYALEE DUSTJACKETGOIN ETTUKEAFUNGO

USATRAILBLAZER PERSATAARONS

SLEDROEDID

FASHIONPOLICE TUTDAMARMS

TRAUMAYESEEO HOLDINGTANKART EDGEDRUBEATS

NEONFOLLOWSUIT BURTBUSEYIRON

APESIPASSSENT

blue

28 *Bag manager

29 Catherine who married Henry VIII

30 Big rigs

31 Young slave girl in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

33 Like gases in the rightmost column of the periodic table

34 They measure miles in meters

35 “I” strain?

38 One of seven for New York City

42 Common wear for female tennis players

44 Besides

45 Shapiro of NPR

47 Social media button

48 Danger

49 “Absolutely!”

50 President who later served as chief justice

51 Cry to guests at a surprise party

52 Twinings products

53 One leaving in the spring?

54 Brutish sort

55 Average guy?

58 Pasture

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Erb’s photographic

PUZZLE BY SETH A. ABEL

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Passion Project

e Etowah dinner series features seasonal menus from a group of talented chefs.

Etowah was originally called “Etowah Hunt Club.”

But the only thing you’re going to hunt there is maybe a second helping of huckleberry compote.

e “Hunt Club” part of the name was a joke, says owner Josh Conley. Etowah actually features dinners four times a year hosted by Conley and Cole Jeanes, chef/ owner of Kinfolk Memphis. e seasonal dinners feature top chefs from around the country.

“Etowah” is a Muscogee (Creek) Nation Native-American word that translates to “city” or “place,” Conley says.

Jordan Rainbolt, chef/owner of Native Root in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will be the featured chef May 27th at e Ravine.

Jeanes talked “over a glass of wine one night. I started telling him about this thing I wanted to do.”

One of their rst dinners was held in a soybean eld. Others were held in a parking garage and an artist’s studio.

ey ask the featured chef one question: “What does this season — the one we’re doing the dinner in — taste like to you?”

e dinners are “all centered around food memories.” So, for May, he asks, “What does May taste like? What does it smell like? What texture?”

e chef is asked to feature something “special to the particular place and time and season.”

e number of diners “depends on the space” and what the chef’s concept is. e one in May will seat “80 to 100 people,” Conley says. “ ey usually sell out pretty quickly.”

Jeanes doesn’t cook at the events. “I’m support for the kitchen and food side of this,” he says. “When they come in, I provide them with a kitchen and make sure they get everything taken care of.”

May is the perfect time for Rainbolt to be the featured Etowah chef, she says. It’s “probably my favorite month.”

It’s “the end of spring, not quite summer yet.”

It’s also perfect because of “the produce that’s available,” she says. Spring “sets the tone for the rest of the year. And it’s just this momentum of produce and owers starting to peak.”

Conley and Jeanes held a couple of Etowah dinners in Arkansas, where Conley and his wife bought a home. But, he says, “ e concept makes more sense in Memphis. Memphis is such a great city for food concepts. I’ve always loved Memphis and Memphians because they get really excited about cool stu . And it’s such a supportive town.”

Conley, who has worked in and out of the food and beverage industry, says, “ is is a passion project.”

e idea began several years ago when he and a friend planned to open a bar. “We wanted a place that was really devoted to seasonally-based cocktails.”

en, he says, “We got really excited about this idea of drinking and eating with the seasons.”

at brick-and-mortar concept never got o the ground, but later, Conley and

Her restaurant “focuses on regionality and locality but also highlights Indigenous foods that are from this part of the country and world. So, a lot of my menu highlights Appalachian with Indigenous ties or how they overlap.”

Her ve-course Etowah menu will include a seared and roasted venison loin with a whiskey-washed tallow pan sauce that will be served with dandelion greens. Dessert will be a huckleberry compote with native blue corn crust.

Response for the Etowah dinners has been great, Jeanes says. “It’s just a great overall experience. It’s tailored to make people feel good. We’re being very hospitable. e food is great.” is is a one-time-only dinner, Conley says. “It’s experiencing a chef in a di erent way than you normally would, even if you went to their restaurant.

“ ese menus are love letters. And this letter happens to be addressed to a season.”

Go to etowahdinnerseries.com to sign up for the upcoming Etowah dinner.

PHOTO: DANIEL WHITE Jordan Rainbolt

EVERY

WEDNESDAY IN

MAY FROM 5-7 PM 694 MADISON AVE. / TRIANGLE PARK IN THE EDGE DISTRICT

- Live music, DJs, axe throwing, Made in Memphis Market, outdoor games, 360 Photobooth & more.

- Dog friendly! - Free drinks from Rootstock, Memphis Made, & Strangeways.

5/10

BAND: SCREAMER

DJ: AYO TUNEZ

FOOD: SMOKE N’ ICE & VOODOO CAFÉ

SPONSORED BY CNCT Design, Downtown Memphis Commission, Event Ops, French Truck, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Medical District Collaborative, Memphis Moms, Orion FCU, Orleans Station, Pathway Lending, Premiere Contractors, Rock’N Dough, Remember Media, Rootstock, Selfie Memphis, Strangeways Cordials, & THE EDGE DISTRICT

The Beauty of Beltane

Beltane is a holiday celebrated by many Earth-based spiritual traditions. It falls on May 1st and is sometimes referred to as May Eve, Walpurgis Night, or May Day. Beltane was originally celebrated by ancient Celtic and Irish people as a solemn re festival. e Irish-Celtic would burn bon res for protection and drive their farm animals around the res to cleanse, purify, and protect their herds. Beltane and its res symbolized the beginning of summer for those in the British Isles.

While its origin can be traced back to Irish-Celtic culture, the Beltane celebrated today looks much di erent than the holiday our ancestors may have honored. Many of the traditions we hold dear now come from May Day celebrations of the English and wider European traditions.

Beltane represents the heights of spring and the promise of summer. It is a seasonal expression of the abundance and fertility the Earth o ers us, as well as a time to celebrate and be a part of nature, to play games, to be frivolous, and to enjoy ourselves.

Many modern celebrations include a Maypole with a Maypole dance, res, feasting, and owers. A Maypole is a large pole (originally a wooden post but modern celebrants get creative with their supplies) decorated with colored ribbons and usually topped with owers. Participants are typically divided into two groups, where each take a ribbon and dance around the Maypole in opposing directions, wrapping the ribbon to it as the dance proceeds. Historically, the Maypole was simply an obvious landmark that was easy to nd at a festival and made a good place to gather. As time went on, people began to hang out at the Maypole, dancing around it and eventually bringing owers and ribbons to decorate it.

In our current Beltane celebrations, the Maypole represents the axis mundi, or world tree that connects and supports all planes of existence, as well as the fertility of the Earth. Dancing around the Maypole is a fun, and o en silly, activity, but it is also done with the intention of aiding our manifestation work and bringing abundance into our lives. Symbolically, the Maypole and its ribbon dance can also be considered a binding, since we wrap the pole with ribbons or streamers. is act represents tying up the past and looking into the future. You can even write on your Maypole, or attach a note to it, with something you would like to bind into the

past and move on from.

By the end of April and the beginning of May, many owers and trees are blooming, and the Earth is much more green than it was just a couple of months ago. Beltane makes uses of the natural bounty, and owers play a big role in most traditions. People o en wear ower crowns during their celebrations or decorate their home with owers and greenery to bring nature indoors.

Beltane and spring are considered by some to be the season of the Fae. With nature in bloom again, some think fairies are more active and will leave o erings to appease them or sometimes to try to bargain with them. You may have heard the idea that the veil between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest around Halloween, and some believe this is also true at Beltane. During Halloween, we use the opportunity to honor our ancestors and loved ones who have passed away from this world. At Beltane, the thinning of the veil means that communicating with fairies and other nature spirits may be easier.

Many see spring as a celebratory time of year, and because of that, Beltane has become a holiday focused on things that are joyous, such as being outdoors a er the winter, the green Earth, fertility, games, and fun. If you feel called to do so, I encourage you to embrace the changing of the seasons as we move into May, get outside, and soak up the sun and the energy of life returning. Have a blessed Beltane season!

Guenther is a co-owner of

Emily

e Broom Closet metaphysical shop. She is a Memphis native, professional tarot reader, ordained Pagan clergy, and dog mom.

PHOTO: EMILY GUENTHER e author with friends at a Beltane celebration, featuring a Maypole

Celebrate

METAPHYSICAL CONNECTION By Emily Guenther

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Before forming the band called The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney performed under various other names: the Quarrymen, Japage 3, and Johnny and the Moondogs. I suspect you are currently at your own equivalent of the Johnny and the Moondogs phase. You’re building momentum. You’re gathering the tools and resources you need. But you have not yet found the exact title, descriptor, or definition for your enterprise. I suggest you be extra alert for its arrival in the coming weeks.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Georges Rouault (1871-1958) was a Gemini painter who bequeathed the world over 3,000 works of art. There might have been even more. But years before he died, he burned 315 of his unfinished paintings. He felt they were imperfect, and he would never have time or be motivated to finish them. I think the coming weeks would be a good time for you to enjoy a comparable purge, Gemini. Are there things in your world that don’t mean much to you anymore and are simply taking up space? Consider the possibility of freeing yourself from their stale energy.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Britain occupied India for almost 200 years. It was a ruthless and undemocratic exploitation that steadily drained India’s wealth and resources. Mahatma Gandhi wasn’t the only leader who fought British oppression, but he was among the most effective. In 1930, he led a 24-day, 240-mile march to protest the empire’s tyrannical salt tax. This action was instrumental in energizing the Indian independence movement that ultimately culminated in India’s freedom. I vote to make Gandhi one of your inspirational role models in the coming months. Are you ready to launch a liberation project? Stage a constructive rebellion? Marshal the collaborative energies of your people in a holy cause?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As crucial as it is to take responsibility, it is also essential to recognize where our responsibilities end and what should be left for others to do. For example, we usually shouldn’t do work for other people that they can just as easily do for themselves. We shouldn’t sacrifice doing the work that only we can do and get sidetracked doing work that many people can do. To be effective and to find fulfillment in life, it’s vital for us to discover what truly needs to be within our care and what should be outside of our care. I see the coming weeks as a favorable time for you to clarify the boundary between these two.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo-born Marie Laveau (1801–1881) was a powerful Voodoo priestess, herbalist, activist,

and midwife in New Orleans. According to legend, she could walk on water, summon clairvoyant visions, safely suck the poison out of a snake’s jowls, and cast spells to help her clients achieve their heart’s desires. There is also a wealth of more tangible evidence that she was a community activist who healed the sick, volunteered as an advocate for prisoners, provided free teachings, and did rituals for needy people who couldn’t pay her. I hereby assign her to be your inspirational role model for the coming weeks. I suspect you will have extra power to help people in both mysterious and practical ways.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): What are the best methods to exorcize our personal demons, ghosts, and goblins? Or at least subdue them and neutralize their ill effects? We all have such phantoms at work in our psyches, corroding our confidence and undermining our intentions. One approach I don’t recommend is to get mad at yourself for having these interlopers. Never do that. The demons’ strategy, you see, is to manipulate you into being mean and cruel to yourself. To drive them away, I suggest you shower yourself with love and kindness. That seriously reduces their ability to trick you and hurt you — and may even put them into a deep sleep. Now is an excellent time to try this approach.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): As she matured, Scorpio poet Sylvia Plath wrote, “I am learning how to compromise the wild dream ideals and the necessary realities without such screaming pain.” I believe you’re ready to go even further than Plath was able to, dear Scorpio. In the coming weeks, you could not merely “compromise” the wild dream ideals and the necessary realities. You could synergize them and get them to collaborate in satisfying ways. Bonus: I bet you will accomplish this feat without screaming pain. In fact, you may generate surprising pleasures that delight you with their revelations.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Some primates use herbal and clay medicines to self-medicate. Great apes, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas ingest a variety of ingredients that fight against parasitic infection and help relieve various gastrointestinal disturbances. (More info: tinyurl.com/PrimatesSelfMedicate.) Our ancestors learned the same healing arts, though far more extensively. And many Indigenous people today still practice this kind of self-care. With these thoughts in mind, Sagittarius, I urge you to spend quality time in the coming weeks deepening your understanding of how to heal and nurture yourself. The kinds of “medicines” you might draw on could be herbs and may also be music, stories, colors, scents, books, relationships, and adventures.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):

I’ve selected a passage to serve as one of your prime themes during the rest of 2023. It comes from poet Jane Shore. She writes, “Now I feel I am learning how to grow into the space I was always meant to occupy, into a self I can know.” Dear Taurus, you will have the opportunity to grow evermore assured and self-possessed as you embody Shore’s description in the coming months. Congratulations in advance on the progress you will make to more fully activate your soul’s code.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The mythic traditions of all cultures are replete with tales of clashes and combats. If we draw on these tales to deduce what activity humans enjoy more than any other, we might conclude that it’s fighting with each other. But I hope you will avoid this normal habit as much as possible during the next three weeks, Capricorn. I am encouraging you to actively repress all inclinations to tangle. Just for now, I believe you will cast a wildly benevolent magic spell on your mental and physical health if you avoid arguments and skirmishes. Here’s a helpful tip: In each situation you’re involved in, focus on sustaining a vision of the most graceful, positive outcome.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Is there a person who could serve as your Über Mother for a while? This would be a wise and tender maternal ally who gives you the extra nurturing you need, along with steady doses of warm, crisp advice on how to weave your way through your labyrinthine decisions. Your temporary Über Mother could be any gender, really. They would love and accept you for exactly who you are, even as they stoke your confidence to pursue your sweet dreams about the future. Supportive and inspirational. Reassuring and invigorating. Championing you and consecrating you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Congratulations on acquiring the Big New Riddle! I trust it will inspire you to grow wiser and kinder and wilder over the coming months. I’ve compiled some clues to help you unravel and ultimately solve this challenging and fascinating mystery. 1. Refrain from calling on any strength that’s stingy or pinched. Ally yourself solely with generous power. 2. Avoid putting your faith in trivial and irrelevant “benefits.” Hold out for the most soulful assistance. 3. The answer to key questions may often be, “Make new connections and enhance existing connections.”

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Judy Blume’s classic coming-of-age tale nally gets the movie treatment it deserves.

Well, the book banners are at it again. Since the good ol’ U.S. of A. was founded by a diverse (from a theological perspective, anyway) group who had just witnessed a couple hundred years of bloody religious civil war in England, freedoms of belief and expression were enshrined as fundamental rights in the new country. So those who would impose their religion on others start by whipping up moral panics about “pornography! In the schools!”

Long before the words “Ron DeSantis” rst passed fascist lips, they came for Judy Blume. Her 1970 middle-school coming-of-age novel Are You ere God? It’s Me, Margaret. has everything: frank talk about sex, a skeptical view of religion, and worst of all, a female protagonist learning about her period. e horror! Children should know nothing about sex except that God hates you for it.

e bannings in the 1970s made it a widely read Gen X classic. Blume

resisted o ers from Hollywood until e Simpsons executive producer James L. Brooks and director Kelly Fremon Craig nally convinced her it was time to lm the un lmable.

We rst meet Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) having the time of her life at summer camp. When she returns home to her mother Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and father Herb (Benny Safdie), she’s quick to notice something is afoot.

Grandma Sylvia (Kathy Bates) blurts out the news: Dad got a promotion and the family is moving from Brooklyn to the suburbs of New Jersey.

While the family is still unpacking, neighbor Nancy (Elle Graham) introduces herself. Margaret is attracted to her new friend’s self-con dence, and

she gets a boost when Nancy asks her to join her girl gang. But navigating her new school’s social scene becomes Margaret’s mine eld.

Meanwhile, a long-simmering situa-

FILM By Chris McCoy

Rachel McAdams as Barbara Simon and Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret Simon in Are You ere God? It’s Me, Margaret.

tion in Margaret’s family life is coming to a boil. Barbara’s Christian fundamentalist parents disowned her when she married Herb, who is Jewish. Margaret must choose which religious tradition she wants to join, if any. Margaret prays her own way in private, and her missives to God give the film narrative structure. When Margaret finds out why she’s never met her grandparents, it fills her with horror — the more she sees of religion, the less she wants to do with it.

Craig nails the feel of the woodpaneled 1970s. Her technique is conservative, compared to The Diary of a Teenage Girl and Eighth Grade. It’s the acting that sends this adaptation into greatness. Fortson’s performance is wise beyond its years, and Graham’s a natural. Craig’s screenplay increases the

role of Barbara, and McAdams makes a meal of it.

Margaret’s choices — to be a mean girl or not; to be Jewish, Christian, or none of the above; to be fake and popular or risk being real; being forced to choose between competing branches of her family — are so universal that they transcend the 20thcentury setting. What has scared the pearl-clutching book banners for 50 years is that Margaret makes her own choices for her own reasons and lives more or less happily ever after. That kind of freedom is not something the reactionary mind welcomes.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Now playing Multiple locations

FILM By Chris McCoy

Rychetta Watkins

Art Is an Economic Asset

is is how Memphis can harness it.

We, as a city, have to create secure pathways for our young people to develop their talents, pursue aspirational careers in the creative economy, and secure Memphis’ rich cultural legacy into the future.

O en, when we think about Memphis’ cultural o erings, we’re stuck in the past and limited by how we de ne and value the city’s heritage. Memphis is known worldwide for its music, food, and culture, but we don’t always support the diverse array of makers, producers, dreamers, and thinkers pushing culture forward in Memphis and beyond. ere is incredible untapped economic potential in the arts and cultural heritage sector. In order to unlock that potential, we must evolve the way we think about Memphis’ creative economy and what it encompasses, push for policies that provide better access to capital and capacity building for artists and creative entrepreneurs, and provide sustained funding for arts nonpro ts and creative businesses. We must shi our policies and practices to lower barriers to cross-sector workforce development collaboration so that we can create stronger bridges from education to industry for young people interested in pursuing careers in the wide array of creative elds in Memphis.

In the days following the death of Tyre Nichols, images from his online photography catalog began to circulate online. Clicking through the beautiful photos, it is obvious and tragic to realize that he does not have a chance to develop his talent because his life was so cruelly stolen due to the atrocities committed against him. When we talk about the future of our city (and our city’s arts sector), we’re talking about young visionaries like Tyre. It’s vital that we resource organizations, spaces, and individuals who re ect our city’s arts and culture now — one day, they will be the leaders of the sector.

Last fall, the More for Memphis Arts & Culture Collaborative launched a survey to gather the voices of Memphis creatives — particularly Black creatives whose work fuels our city’s arts ecosystem — to get a better understanding of the challenges facing the sector. One of the key ndings was that although the arts are a major economic driver for our city, the sector is critically under-resourced relative to the amount of tax revenue it generates. In 2019, the arts sector generated more than $8 million in revenue, but received just $2.02 in per capita funding — less than half of the national per capita average — for an ROI of 1,000 percent. What’s more, between 2018 and 2022, only 28.81 percent of the public funding for the arts in Shelby County, including pandemic relief funds, went to organizations led by people of color. at lack of baseline investment makes it incredibly di cult for artists to make a living as creatives in Memphis. Survey respondents said that they struggle to make ends meet, o en working multiple jobs and long hours to keep the lights on. It also impacts whether young people are able to see a place for themselves in Memphis’ creative economy. Young people are the lens through which we must vision a better, more equitable future for our sector and our city. is is where art starts in Memphis. In a city that is more than 60 percent Black, this is a racial justice issue. ere is a disconnect between how we, as Memphians, view Memphis and how Memphis is sold to the world.

As part of the More for Memphis project, we are working to recenter Blackness at the heart of Memphis’ cultural heritage so that we can better de ne the contours of the arts and cultural heritage economy here in Memphis beyond music tourism and traditional, o en white, mainstays that o en derive from Black cultural forms. Memphis’ celebrated arts and cultural heritage economy should highlight important cultural and historical assets like the National Civil Rights Museum, Mason Temple, Hattiloo eatre, and Collage Dance Collective, in addition to worldrenowned assets like Sun Studio or Graceland. at starts on the grassroots level, with more support for organizations that are led by and serve Black and brown people, and more support for individual creators.

In addition to better supporting artists, we must also recognize and value creativity as an important workforce development skill in any eld. e creative economy is made up of knowledge workers who possess critical thinking and design skills that transfer across all sectors, with overlaps in forwardlooking elds like healthcare innovation, business technology, and advanced manufacturing. To be a competitive economy in the coming decades, we need people who can think outside of the box and who can adapt to new technology and new innovations — all traits of creative thinkers. We must equip our young people to be the foundation of a thriving, more equitable creative economy.

e arts and creative industries must no longer be le out of the economic and community development conversation. By developing economic and business development policy and practice to better support the needs of creatives, especially Black creatives and Black heritage sites, Memphis can begin to realize the full value of the arts as an underutilized economic asset. Rychetta Watkins is the director of grantmaking and partnerships for Memphis Music Initiative. She is a passionate advocate for increased equity, access, and opportunity in education, the arts, and philanthropy in her hometown.

PHOTO: MEMPHIS MUSIC INITIATIVE | FACEBOOK Stax Music Academy

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